


Sealed With a Kiss

by NovemberNights



Series: Eyepatch Keith AU [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Eyepatch Keith, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Galra Keith (Voltron), I hope, I should stop, Lance is suspicious, Light Angst, Older brother figure Regris, broganes is OUT bromora is IN, but pre-eyepatch, dunno yet, idk yet, lol, might be some explosions, more tags as it updates probably, nothing as bad as my other fics though lol, stick around and find out, the bros of bromora, this is supposed to be fluffy-ish, with uhhh maybe some
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24932491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovemberNights/pseuds/NovemberNights
Summary: Keith likes to send gifts to his former teammates when he finds things that might interest them. It's his way of keeping in touch.But Katie can't help but wonder why she's been receiving more since the incident on Puig. It doesn't help that Keith doesn't really know either.Naturally, they don't figure it out until a mission almost-gone-awry.Takes place roughly around 2.5 years in space, in the 6-7 months following the previous fic in this series,Spark.Can be read out of order/independently!
Relationships: Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith & Regris (Voltron), Keith/Pidge (Voltron), Keith/Pidge | Katie Holt
Series: Eyepatch Keith AU [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1390522
Comments: 32
Kudos: 76





	1. Armillary Sphere

**Author's Note:**

> ~~Trying something a little different since I've been so busy lately; I'm posting segments of this fic as chapters, whereas I might normally post them as one piece & just put centered asterisks breaking them up. So I'm also curious if this works ok, or if it seems cut off. Do you like this or prefer it over the all-in-one? Or is the longer format better? ~~
> 
> ~~Once this fic is finished, or if you'd rather have it in one piece, I may consider merging the chapters.~~  
>  I've decided to keep it as chapters bc it works out nicely that way. Enjoy~

Katie pokes at the glass armillary sphere of a twelve-planet solar system on her shelf, carefully edging it into position between a night-flowering air plant and a glowing power crystal she hasn’t found a use for yet. They’re all gifts from Keith. 

Since joining the Blade of Marmora, he's sent things he found on missions in various solar systems—little souvenirs—to his former teammates, if he thinks they’ll like them. Shiro says it’s his way of keeping in touch. He’s sent unusual food ingredients for Hunk on a few occasions; an iridescent purple beetle wing hairpin for Allura that Keith said a child had wanted him to take; an antique laser pistol for Lance that he picked up when camping in a former battlefield-turned wasteland; and a poster of Shiro for Shiro, along with the lengthiest of Keith’s notoriously brief notes voicing his confusion and questions regarding the short-lived Voltron Show. Once he even sent the team a potted plant whose fruits could be dried and made into a caffeinated, coffee-like drink. It’s Shiro’s favorite gift by far.

Katie slides a magnet under the shelf, positioning it below the armillary sphere to which she had attached another magnet. It’s the best solution she’s come up with to hold her belongings in place in the event that the ship is attacked, or worse, crashes. She checks the water level on the nutrient mister she built for the air plant—it’s still half full—and steps back to inspect the arrangement of objects.

The photo of her and Matt before the Kerberos launch is starting to look a little cramped at the end of the shelf. She needed to shuffle things around a bit to fit the armillary sphere, the latest thing Keith had sent her.

In truth, he’d been sending her things more frequently since the battle of Puig, when a pair of gunshot wounds had landed her in the healing pods and the medbay for a short stint. He was nearby at the time, and she’d vaguely heard him barreling down the slope to reach her before she passed out when he carried her to her Lion. It reminds her a little of how he’d spent the week after Shiro’s return practically glued to the man’s side as if he might disappear a third time.

But it’s been two months, and the armillary sphere and power crystal are two of the three things she’d received in that time, the third being a jointed flashlight she keeps with her tools. Prior to the battle of Puig, the only gifts specifically for her had been the air plant and something akin to peanut butter.

_It’s probably best not to think about it too much._

Katie slips her shoes off and tosses the box that contained the armillary sphere to the wastebasket in the corner before hopping up onto her bed. She has the note that was tucked inside the box in hand, and folds her legs underneath her while fishing for her own notepad in her old Garrison backpack. She likes to write Keith reply letters, just to let him know the gifts are appreciated. Sometimes she’s able to coax a longer note out of him by asking questions. She taps her pen against her chin, skimming Keith’s all-caps, military-style handwriting a second time while she thinks up a suitable reply.

__

_I saw this in a market stall on a planet where we stopped to refuel. It represents  
the Fuljiom solar system in the Theracys sector. I hope it arrives in one piece.  
I’m glad to hear that the Lions are in good shape. I miss flying Red sometimes._

_\- Keith_

She hums thoughtfully, carding her fingers through her now not-quite-shoulder-length hair (Matt had convinced her to start growing it out again) as her eyes scan the shelf of knicknacks. At least Keith responded to something she’d said in her last reply letter. It's an improvement. She notices the air plant beginning its nightly bloom, and smiles. There’s an idea. Katie flips her pen around and flips past all her old Garrison notes to the last couple of blank pages, and starts writing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summer classes are draining all my energy, blargh. I wanted to post _something_ because it feels like it's been so long since I did ;A; I promise, I've got stuff in the works!
> 
> Thoughts? Keysmashes? Questions? Short chapters or the whole shebang? Let me know what you guys think in the comments!


	2. From, Katie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katie's thank-you letter to Keith for the armillary sphere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this at 3am last night, lol. Originally ch2 would've been from Keith's end & just referenced this letter without including it, but I thought it'd be neat if I wrote it out nice & long.

_Hey Keith,_

_Thank you so much for the armillary sphere! It arrived intact—no small feat for such a delicate glass object. They’re one of my favorite  
old astronomical instruments, and it’s incredible that other planets have them too. The glasswork is fantastic as well. I think I’m going   
to set it up with a light and make it glow. Blue? Maybe green? Or better yet, what color is the planet it’s from? Or the star?_

_The air plant you sent me several months ago has bloomed! It has tall, fluted violet flowers with little blue speckles on them. It looks  
like something a hummingbird might like. I think this means I got the nutrient formula figured out for it. The misting device I built for   
it seems to be working out quite nicely, too._

_I think I’m going to ask Hunk to help me build a new shelf for my room. The current one is getting tight on space, and I’d like to have  
a more secure way to store my trinkets and baubles than the magnets I’m currently using. It reminds me a little of my room at home…_

_Which makes me think of Matt._

_I still can’t thank you enough for helping me find him, no matter how much you play it down. It means so, so much to me, and I’m so  
glad to have him back. He’s convinced me to grow my hair out again, and it’s… getting there. It’ll probably be another few weeks until   
it’s noticeable. But enough rambling from me!_

_Hunk made a pie with those fruits you sent him last time and it was HEAVENLY. Next time you send us food you need to send yourself  
with it so you can try whatever Hunk manages to do with it. He’s a food wizard. It’s amazing._

_I’ve started working on redesigning our Paladin armor, since the, ah, incident on Puig. Mostly I’m trying to figure out a happy medium  
between flexible and protective. Maybe layered tiers of plating? Coran showed me the ship’s database of Altean materials, so maybe I   
can get some inspiration from there. I saw something about a tear-resistant fabric, and another about something that can reflect laser   
bolts, but nothing that really seems right, yet. I’ll have to do more research._

_I’m afraid I have to end this letter here! I’m running out of space in my Garrison notebook, so I need to conserve pages._

_Hope to see you soon!_

_The Shield of Voltron,  
Katie_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the timeline of this au is such a convoluted mess, I've had at _least_ three instances where writing out my A/N at the end or responding to comments has resulted in fixing timeline issues, lol! (what can I say, I love talking about this AU!)
> 
> Like, yesterday I realized that "One Blade Between Us," an earlier work in this series (the second work, in fact!), is technically the follow up to _this_ fic, even though I wrote it basically a year ago.


	3. Thirteen GAC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While shopping for supplies to bring back to the Blade headquarters, something catches Keith's eye in a market stall...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something short & sweet today <3

Hot desert sun beats down on the crowded spaceport marketplace where the Blades are stocking up on supplies for headquarters. They’re out of uniform to blend in better, an irony not lost on Keith. He’s just grateful that enough time has passed since the clothes he brought from Earth—the ones also worn on Voltron’s mall escapade—no longer fit him, and he now sports a much less conspicuous leather bomber jacket and a pair of denim-like pants. 

Keith fingers the edge of a pad of star-patterned stationery that caught his eye and reminded him of Katie’s latest reply letter some weeks ago. Her old Garrison notebook was running low on pages, she’d mentioned. Keith looks up as Ulaz appears in his peripheral vision. It’s weird seeing him out of uniform; his long-sleeved shirt and olive vest paired with cargo pants make him look like he’s going hiking.

“Find something interesting, Keith?” he asks.

“Maybe,” Keith holds out the stationery for Ulaz to see, “this made me think of one of my former teammates.”

Ulaz takes the pad of paper and turns it over in his hands. “It’s good quality,” he hums, eyeing Keith as he returns it to him, “Regris is loading the ship now, be ready to go soon.”

Keith nods, “I’ll be there.”

Seemingly satisfied, Ulaz returns the gesture and disappears into the crowd. Keith shifts his gaze from the senior Blade member to the spaceport’s unusual clock tower that looks more like a time-telling obelisk. He’s probably got 5 minutes. Ten, if Regris is feeling impatiently generous. 

Keith holds the stationery up to the shopkeep, “How much for this?”

The purple-hued merchant purses her lips, orange eyes curious, “Been a while since anyone asked for one of those,” she comments, “it’s thirteen GAC.”

Keith fishes the desired coinage from one of the pouches on his belt and drops them into the merchant's seven-fingered hand.

She smiles, “Pleasure doing business, hope you enjoy it!”

Keith, for lack of a better response, nods and slips away into the crowd, stationery tucked safely under the left breast of his jacket to protect it from the dusty desert air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ulaz LIVES. For now. I realized a while back that the team destroying Haggar's robeast creation station meant that Ulaz would live... so now I need to figure out how long he sticks around for. Or if he dies at all. 'Tis a long way off at this point though.
> 
> also; Ulaz _knows._ Keith isn't fooling him, even if he's able to fool himself.


	4. Developments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katie receives yet another gift from Keith while working in the labs, and decides to update him on recent events in her reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My week off of summer semester is ending soon ;A; Enjoy this for now! Hopefully school will ease up & I'll be able to get more done soon.

The distinctive buzz of the door alarm she’d built jolts Katie’s attention at the sound and she pauses her computer simulation to tug her headphones off. She pops her head up to look past her monitor at the intruder.

“Knock knock,” Shiro calls, rapping his knuckles against the doorframe of the Green Lion’s hangar. 

Katie folds her arms on her desk, “Shiro? What’s up?”

He waves a small package in his prosthetic hand, “Mail call,” he answers, striding over. “What are you working on?”

“Armor modifications,” she chirps, rotating her monitor for the Black Paladin to see, “I thought it was about time we made some adjustments to the ten-thousand year old designs. Though I do admit I have some personal motivation for it.” Katie swivels her chair a little to face Shiro better, “What’cha got for me?”

“Package from Keith. Came with another poster of myself for me that he picked up somewhere,” Shiro makes a face, “I think he finds it funny.”

Katie snorts, “I think he’s just glad it’s you, not him.”

Shiro chuckles, “True. It’s probably for the best he wasn’t there for Coran’s scheming.”

“Oh, definitely,” she smiles, “And _I_ definitely want to know what’s in that package. Gimme,” she demands, making grabby gestures toward the mystery object.

“Alright, here,” Shiro slides the box onto her desk, “I need to go check on our guest, so I’ll leave you to it. Maybe I’ll figure out what to do with my poster, too.”

“Gotcha,” Katie hums, then grins. “Oh, tape the poster over Lance’s bed while he’s sleeping!” she hollers after him cheekily.

Shiro waves before stepping through the door to the hallway, “I’ll think about it!”

Katie rolls her eyes, knowing full well he won’t do it. Shiro’s not much of a prankster. She pushes her monitor back into position and snatches up the box on her desk. It’s about the size of a sheet of paper, and only an inch or two deep. Her name is written in sharp, all-caps black marker near the top. She sticks her thumb in the pizza-box style flip-tab and pries the lid open.

Inside the box, braced against the sides with little struts rather than a normal packing-filler, is a pad of stationery paper. Its pale turquoise pages are bordered by dark blue waves and dotted with little yellow stars from constellations unfamiliar to her. What’s more—rather than Keith’s usual index card style correspondence, his characteristic handwriting rides the lines of the first page of paper.

Her fingers feel for the bottom edge of the stationery pad to remove it from the struts holding it in place, and she lifts it from the box with more care than is really necessary. The paper is, quite honestly, beautiful, and now that she has her hands on it she can feel the quality of it.

She spins her chair to face her desk, “Where’d he manage to find _this?_ ” she breathes, setting the stationery down to read Keith’s letter. And a letter is what it is—he’d actually written more than five lines for once.

_Hi, Katie,_

_I found this in a shop on a supply run recently. It reminded me of your letter—you  
mentioned running low on paper. I’d say not to go through it too quickly, but I know  
you like to have written notes._

_It’s interesting that the plant has purple flowers now. When I found it they were red._

_Let me know how your armor redesigns go. If it’d help you, I might be able to ask  
Kolivan to let me visit the Castleship and you could analyze the Blade armor, since it’s  
a more recent design._

_\- Keith_

She can’t help but chuckle at his comment on her note-taking habits. _I’ll be the first to admit, I_ am _quite thorough._ Though it’s interesting how _that,_ of all things, stood out to Keith, notwithstanding his attempt at humor.

Carefully, Katie tears Keith’s letter from the top of the pad of paper. She props it against her monitor and reaches for her pen jar, fingers hovering over her options in indecision. She purses her lips, and selects one with green ink—one of her favorites. Recent events prompt a careful letter; their next meeting with the Blades isn’t for a while, though she’s not sure how much Allura would be comfortable with her sharing yet. Katie shrugs her shoulders and uncaps her pen, writing out the date on the page in bold green ink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm Hmm Hmm. Strange things are afoot ~~at the circle k~~ on the castle-ship.
> 
> Any guesses?


	5. Nosey, much?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After returning from a mission, Keith receives another letter from Katie, only to be relentlessly teased about it by Regris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had some free time last night and wrote this in a couple hours, felt so good to write again!! (It helps that my Regris is so much fun to write lol).
> 
> In this AU, Regris doesn't die near-immediately and becomes something of an older brother figure for Keith. That comes with all the perks of a Cool(tm) older brother who loves to tease. I haven't seen a lot of interpretations of Regris' character so... I hope you like this!

Keith rests an arm on the briefing room table while watching Ulaz cross the floor to join him and Regris. After returning from a 24-hour mission with them he’s more than ready to pass out in his bunk for several hours. Unfortunately they’re waiting on Kolivan so Regris can submit the mission report and hand over the data they collected.

“Good work today, boys,” Ulaz praises, settling into one of the briefing room’s chairs.

Regris offers a shark-toothed grin, “I try.”

Keith rolls his eyes and pushes himself upright, hearing the door slide open behind him. He cranes his neck around as Kolivan enters with a file tucked under his arm.

Kolivan scans the three Blades as he rounds the table and drops the file on its surface, “Judging by Regris’ smirk, I trust things went well?” he asks, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Smooth as scaultrite,” Regris quips, retrieving the data drive from his belt. He slides it down the table towards Kolivan, who stops it with a finger.

“Excellent. Intel has their work cut out for them,” Kolivan turns his attention to their team leader, “Ulaz, anything else of note?”

Ulaz shakes his head, “Nothing important or unusual. Everything was about as routine as we could hope for. These two make a great team. Keith’s progress is exceptional.”

Kolivan nods, “Good. If that’s all, Ulaz, I’d like to discuss some upcoming plans with you.”

“Of course,” Ulaz agrees, rising from his seat.

“Thank you,” Kolivan pauses, flicking the file on the table open to pull out an envelope, “Keith, this came for you,” he explains, setting it by him on his way to the door, “Get some rest, boys.”

“Yes, sir!” Keith and Regris chorus as the door shuts behind their superiors.

Regris wastes no time in jumping from his seat and snaking around the table to sidle up next to Keith with a hand over his eyes and a toothy grin on his face.

“Let me guess, let me guess! It’s from the _Green Paladin,_ hmm?” Regris scissors his fingers and peers through them at the envelope before Keith can snatch it away. The former paladin’s name is printed in careful green letters on the front side. Regris shoots Keith a sly, sidelong glance, to which Keith responds by shoving a hand in his face.

“And if it is?” Keith asks, unsheathing his knife to cut the seal.

“Oh smart move, you knew I’d ask,” Regris hisses quietly. He leans back and plants his hands on his hips, reptilian tail lashing behind him. “Who else?” he asks, smug.

Keith rolls his eyes at his friend a second time, “You’re just nosey.”

That earns him a forked-tongue raspberry, “Try again.”

Keith tugs the letter from the envelope and fixes Regris with a flat stare, “You’re awful.”

Regris pulls out the chair next to Keith and slides into it, leaning on the table, “I know.”

“Whatever,” Keith says, shaking his head as he finally unfolds Katie’s letter to read.

Silently. To himself.

Regris can get the CliffsNotes.

_Hi Keith,_

_WOW! Keith, this notepad is gorgeous! How did you manage to find something  
like this? I love it! It’s beautiful! I’ve half a mind to keep a page blank, I like it so  
much. I don’t recognize the constellations printed on it, but I suppose that makes  
sense. I wonder what they are?_

_Regardless, thank you very much! I’ll do my best to make it last ;)_

_So far my armor redesigns have gone… okay. I’m making progress with the  
materials, and the Altean archives have been a huge help, but I struggle a bit  
with the form-factor. I need to test things for real, but some of the materials can  
be hard to make, or take a lot of time to produce, so I don’t want to be wasteful. If  
Kolivan could spare you for… a week, maybe? Do you think you could visit? I’d  
have to clear it with Allura first, we’ve had some “developments” that I’ll get to in  
a moment. But yes. Absolutely yes, I’d love to take a look at the Blade armor and  
take some notes. And it HAS been a while since you’ve been around. If Allura’s  
okay with it, she’ll be in contact with Kolivan soon-ish. Hopefully._

_On to the “news” news._

_About a week or two after I sent you my last letter (so a little over a month now),  
we came into contact with the exiled Galran Prince Lotor. We’ve bumped into  
him, or his ships, at least, a few times already, and they’re… odd, to put it simply.  
So far they’ve generally minded their own business (whatever that is), until Lotor  
hailed our ship with a proposal to partner with us. Allura was skeptical at first,  
but, get this: he’s half Altean. Long story short, Allura and Shiro agreed to work  
with him, though he IS still a Galran Prince. We’re being careful (Lance  
especially, he’s almost stalking the guy, though I think he’s got ulterior motives).  
So far though, Lotor’s been nothing but pleasant and helpful, so I can’t fault him  
for much. I don’t really know what to think, but for now, it seems okay. Maybe  
we’re just letting things get to our heads too much._

_Hope to see you soon,_

_-Katie_

“ _So,_ ” Regris drawls, watching Keith set the letter down, “What does the lady have to say?”

“She likes the notepad and took me up on my offer to help her with the Paladin armor redesigns, if Kolivan is okay with it,” Keith summarizes, his attention still on the bottom portion of the letter.

Regris leans in, attempting to see, “And?”

Keith shoulders him away, folding the letter so that only the last paragraph is visible, “Nosey, much?”

Regris’s forked tongue flickers and he sits back, but the cheeky look doesn’t leave his face.

Keith lets out an exasperated sigh, but continues. “They have a guest, apparently. Former Galran Prince. Half Altean. Lotor…” Keith drums his fingers on the tabletop. “The name sounds familiar. It’s come up a few times in de-briefs, I think. Do we know anything about him?”

“The exile?” Regris hums, resting his chin in his hand, “A little. He’s got a small fleet and seems to attract half-Galrans. Not much else. His movements are… sporadic, at best. He tends to stay out of Imperial zones. Nothing hints at suspicious behavior, however.”

Keith frowns and folds up Katie’s letter, stuffing it back into the envelope carefully. “If all goes well I might get to meet him soon,” he says, standing up. He bops his friend on the head with the envelope while pushing in his chair, “I’m going to go get some sleep, it’s been like 32 hours since pre-brief and I am dead tired.”

Regris snickers as he follows Keith from the room, “Sucks to be you, flyboy, I got at least two cycles in on the flight back.”

Keith swats him with the envelope.

“You should be more careful with that, maybe stash it under your pillow for good dreams… or do you already?”

“ _Regris!_ ” Keith hisses indignantly, turning a corner in what is _definitely_ not an attempt to hide the totally-just-embarrassed very-subtle-super-mild heat creeping into his face.

“Nah, I’m just teasing,” the taller Blade elbows him in the side, “brotherly love.”

Keith punches him in the shoulder for good measure, “I’m disowning you.”

If Regris knew where he _actually_ kept Katie’s letters, he’d never hear the end of it.

“That won’t work, we’re not _real_ brothers. You’re stuck with me.”

“There’s an airlock at the end of this hallway, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post-scene:  
> *Keith and Regris proceed to tackle each other in the hallway so neither can reach the airlock*  
>  _Kolivan and Ulaz, in a meeting room nearby:_  
>  Ulaz: "Did you hear something?"  
> Kolivan: *looks out the window in the door to see Keith and Regris in a headlock* "It's the boys."  
> Ulaz: *nods* "They're sleep deprived."
> 
> \---------------  
> VLD: "here's this character with like five mission-related lines, he's only in one episode and then dies"  
> me: "thanks he's mine now, nyehehe"  
> That said... I'm debating the pros & cons of when or if Regris dies in this AU... hrmmmmm
> 
> I had so much fun writing this chapter!  
> I want to... ask questions about things I wrote... but also I want to know if you guys pick up on those things without me mentioning ;3


	6. Not So Obvious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith pays a visit to his former teammates, but Lotor's presence requires that he go undercover, and a conversation with Lance provides some insight to the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had a mind of it's own... it wasn't supposed to be this long, for starters. I decided to split it into two. I'm thinking it was a really good decision to post this fic as chapters, lol.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Positive,” Regris is quick to answer. Keith feels the orange and brown fabric of the Rebel uniform tighten over his armor as Regris finishes off a knot. “Just so long as you don’t botch the very, _very_ minimal acting required for this. It’s just like any old undercover. Don’t say things! Easy!”

“That’s not what I meant,” Keith frowns, turning to face Regris and the clunky old Rebel ship behind him that the Blades requisitioned.

“No, but it doesn’t matter. You’re a terrible liar. Remember my birthday a few phoebs ago? I knew you were hiding that aurivium capacitor for quintants.”

Keith swats Regris’ hand from fixing another knot, “Are you sure it’s not just because you’re nosey?”

“I’m not ruling it out,” Regris’ forked tongue flickers as he presses the release on the standard-issue collapsible Rebel staff leaning against some nearby crates. The shaft telescopes in on itself and he hands it to Keith, who slips it into a loop on his belt. Keith then picks up one of the crates and moves it into the ship’s hold. They’re mostly just to maintain appearances.

“But relax,” Regris adds, “the ship will do most of the acting for you. We’ve fitted this junker with enough busted parts to keep it grounded for a week. All you have to do is hang tight in this ugly sitting duflax until Voltron comes to pick you up,” he says, patting the dented orange hull mock-affectionately.

Keith rolls his eyes, “You really need to stop prying about my letters.”

Regris scoffs, “I am merely curious. Anyways, you should rehearse. Only about half a varga left before we leave.”

“They say curiosity kills cats, Regris. And no.” Keith chides, allowing himself a moment to enjoy the look of confusion on Regris’ face.

“Okay, tell me what a _cat_ is later,” he mutters, recovering. “And yes. Come on, just a little,” Regris begs, loading another crate onto the ship. “Why’s the ship busted?”

Keith sighs, but responds dutifully, “The gauss rotator went out and blew through the fuel tank.” Keith huffs, “There, happy?”

Regris hums, then shrugs, “One more time.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Keith retorts, patting down his pockets to ensure that they’re secure. “Let’s get the ship loaded so we stay on time.”

***

“Honestly the whole thing’s just about busted,” Keith laments, stepping through the auxiliary hangar doorway alongside Hunk, who’d brought in his ship with the Yellow Lion. “You think you can get it fixed that fast?”

The Yellow Paladin nods, “The way it looks, I’m surprised you were even able to get an S.O.S. out. Shouldn’t be too hard though.” 

_Bless Hunk for playing along with this scheme._

“Yeah, well, the gauss rotator went out and blew through the fuel tank,” Keith huffs. “I had to wade back there to shut the valve off,” he adds, gesturing at the fuel-soaked hem of his Rebel disguise.

Ulaz had dyed them. For _authenticity,_ as Regris claimed. And, fortunately, he used a water-soluble dye in the event that someone on the castleship insisted on washing them.

Looking back up from his boots, Keith spots the rest of the ship’s inhabitants in the main hangar, including the... _guest_ he’d been warned about. He glances at Lotor only briefly—enough to put a face to a name—and then focuses his attention on the approaching Paladins.

“Keith!” Shiro calls, waving, “What a surprise to see you! How’ve you been?”

They knew he was coming. They just didn’t know when, specifically.

“Hey, Shiro,” Keith greets, mustering up a small smile while mentally steeling himself for the next lie. “I wasn’t planning on a visit like this but… here I am. I was making a supply run but the ship’s so old it gave out on me.”

“Well we’re glad to have you,” Shiro smiles, “Hunk can get your ship fixed up in no time.”

“So he said,” Keith agrees, turning to face the Red Paladin, taking care to ensure he’s visible to Lotor. “Princess Allura, thank you for your aid, once again,” he says, bowing to her.

“Of course, Keith. You’re a good friend,” Allura smiles, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, ushering him to rise. 

“As are you, Princess. It’s an honor to be your guest.”

Allura nods, her trained courtly composure never failing, “Speaking of guests, I’d like you to meet Lotor,” she gestures toward the silver haired prince, “Lotor is the Prince of the Galra Empire, but has been exiled for quite some time. He reached out to us recently in hopes of reforging the bonds with Altea.”

Keith bows curtly to Lotor as well, maintaining a neutral expression, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Prince Lotor,” he extends a hand to the prince.

“It’s good to see the Princess has so much support. And please, call me Lotor. There is no need for a title from an empire I have long since broken from,” Lotor says, his accent not dissimilar to Allura’s as he shakes Keith’s hand with a pleasant smile.

“I’ll remember that,” Keith nods, retracting his arm. Lotor’s grip is firm—a swordsman’s grip. Keith keeps that observation to himself.

Nearby, the Green and Blue Paladins seem to notice the lull between him and the exiled prince, finishing their quiet discussion in the background to hurry over to them.

“Keith!” Katie cheers, jumping in to steal him away from any further conversation with Lotor. “Since you’re here, you should come check out my current projects, I’ve made some good progress!” she chatters, taking him by the hand excitedly. Like she’d told him in a previous letter, her hair is a bit longer now, bouncing around her shoulders with her movements.

“And what might you be working on this time?” Keith asks, a hint of a knowing smile pulling at his lips as he allows himself to be pulled toward the doorway.

Katie throws a playful grin over her shoulder at him, “It’s a surprise!”

Lance rolls his eyes and marches alongside the two of them, “Katie are you sure you shouldn’t let the poor man put his stuff down and figure out where he’s staying for the week first?”

Katie slumps by the door as it hisses open, “I suppose you’re right,” she acquiesces, dropping Keith’s hand from her grip. “I’ll be in the labs, then. Lance, why don’t you show Keith the way to the guest rooms? He hasn’t been here in a while,” she notes, giving the boys a discreet thumbs’ up as she steps through the door.

“You got it,” Lance says, following her into the hallway with Keith. The door slides shut behind them and the two Paladins exchange a silent nod before Katie leaves to go to the labs. Lance grabs Keith by the wrist and pulls him down the opposite hallway after checking to see if it’s clear.

“I have to say, I’m impressed with everyone’s acting,” Keith comments as Lance releases his arm and ushers him around a corner.

“Not too shabby yourself, Keith. You practiced, didn’t you?” Lance asks, looking back. 

“You can tell?”

“No. I just remember how you look when you choke on half-truths. You looked like you were talking, not choking, so I see improvement,” Lance explains, keying into the elevator. After a short ride and a few more turns, he stops in front of one of the guest rooms.

“Just for appearances,” Lance notes while the door opens. He practically jumps inside as the lights come on, pulls Keith in with him, and locks the door after it shuts. “If Lotor wasn’t here you could stay in your old room.”

Keith shakes his head, “Don’t worry about it. If Lotor wasn’t here none of these shenanigans would be happening. But his presence isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” Keith slips his bag over his head and tosses it on the bed.

“You’re keeping tabs on him,” Lance infers, levelling his gaze at Keith, who crosses his arms.

“Of course I am. Half the reason I’m here. Though I agree it would be easier without him.”

Lance drops his shoulders, “That… eases my discomfort, somewhat.”

Keith raises an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Lance starts, “I don’t trust him.”

“Katie mentioned as much.”

“She did, huh?” Lance hums, “Well, whatever. I don’t trust Lotor. He hasn’t done anything… _yet,_ ” Lance sulks, “For now, we give him the benefit of the doubt. But that doesn’t stop me from thinking he’s up to something.”

“Playing the long game, if he is,” Keith muses, then shifts his feet. “Did you know he’s got a swordsman’s grip?”

Lance looks at him quizzically, “A what now?”

“When I shook hands with him back there,” Keith explains, “I could tell. He shakes hands like I do.” 

Lance frowns, “I’ve only ever seen him using the Altean staves.”

Keith hums. “Does he have access to the training deck?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Curiosity,” Keith answers, unclipping some of the excess Rebel disguise gear. “Speaking of which, I should head down to the labs.”

Lance nods, moving to unlock the door, “Guess I’ll leave you to it, then. It’s mid-afternoon so dinner should be ready in an hour or two, by the way.”

“Thanks, I’ll be there…” Keith trails off as he snaps a clip shut, then turns to the Blue Paladin, “Hey, Lance?”

Lance’s hand stops short of the door’s keypad and he looks back, “Yeah?”

Keith eyes the clips in his hands, running a finger over the old metal, then meets Lance’s gaze, “This probably sounds like a stupid question, but what day is it? On, uh, on Earth.” He takes a breath, “The light cycle on the base is… longer. Than on the castle, or Earth. I’ve kind of… lost track.” 

“Oh,” Lance blinks, but smiles, “It’s September 14th.”

Keith nods, taking in the information, “Thanks, Lance.”

Lance shakes his head, “Don’t mention it. Oh, but tell Katie I said hi when you get down to the labs,” he calls, slipping out the door.

“Lance, you were just—ugh,” Keith rolls his eyes as the door slides shut, “Nevermind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, writing a sensible conversation between Keith and Lance? Amazing. 
> 
> Not a kidge-heavy chapter but it's there ;) + we're ramping up to what I think will be the last two chapters, hoho. Exciting.
> 
> The world 'duflax' I found while perusing the vld wiki page, lol... I believe it's from when Pidge was learning Altean vocab that one episode... (it's a duck-like creature, supposedly). Katie probably mentioned it in a letter to Keith... and Regris insisted on hearing what was in the letter that day :P
> 
> 'Gauss Rotator' is fake technobabble idk anything about engines and things lol.
> 
> Hrg something cool I was thinking about is the slight differences in characterization between parts of this AU that are earlier on the timeline, or later. Keith & Pidge & the others in this fic, or Spark, for example, aren't the quite same as they are in say, The Scars Say I Love You, or Painkiller. And I'm even jumping around on the timeline to write these, lol. I love this au so much ahhhhhhhhhhhh.


End file.
